This article is about a literary group. For the video game characters, see Inkling (Splatoon).
The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949.[1] The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who praised the value of narrative in fiction and encouraged the writing of fantasy. The best-known, apart from Tolkien and Lewis, were Charles Williams, and (although a Londoner) Owen Barfield.
The New Building at Magdalen College. The Inklings met in C. S. Lewis's rooms, above the arcade on the right side of the central block.
The Eagle and Child pub (commonly known as the Bird and Baby or simply just the Bird) in Oxford where the Inklings met informally on Tuesday mornings during term.
The more regular members of the Inklings, many of them academics at the University, included:[2]
A corner of The Eagle and Child pub, formerly the landlord's sitting-room where Lewis' friends, including Inklings members, informally gathered on Tuesday mornings. There is a small display of memorabilia.
"Properly speaking," wrote Warren Lewis, "the Inklings was neither a club nor a literary society, though it partook of the nature of both. There were no rules, officers, agendas, or formal elections."[7] As was typical for university groups in their time and place, the Inklings were all male. Readings and discussions of the members' unfinished works were the principal purposes of meetings. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings,[8] Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet, and Williams's All Hallows' Eve were among the novels first read to the Inklings. Tolkien's fictional Notion Club (see "Sauron Defeated") was based on the Inklings. Meetings were not all serious; the Inklings amused themselves by having competitions to see who could read the notoriously bad prose of Amanda McKittrick Ros for the longest without laughing.[9]
The name was associated originally with a society of Oxford University's University College, initiated by the then undergraduate Edward Tangye Lean around 1931, for the purpose of reading aloud unfinished compositions. The society consisted of students and dons, among them Tolkien and Lewis. When Lean left Oxford in 1933, the society ended, and Tolkien and Lewis transferred its name to their group at Magdalen College. On the association between the two 'Inklings' societies, Tolkien later said "although our habit was to read aloud compositions of various kinds (and lengths!), this association and its habit would in fact have come into being at that time, whether the original short-lived club had ever existed or not."[10]
Until late 1949, Inklings readings and discussions were usually held on Thursday evenings in C. S. Lewis's rooms at Magdalen. The Inklings and friends were also known to gather informally on Tuesdays at midday at a local public house, The Eagle and Child, familiarly and alliteratively known in the Oxford community as The Bird and Baby, or simply The Bird.[11] The publican, Charlie Blagrove, let Lewis and friends use his private parlour for privacy; the wall and door separating it from the public bar were removed in 1962.[12] During the war years, beer shortages occasionally rendered the Eagle and Child unable to open and the group instead met at other pubs, including the White Horse and the Kings Arms.[13] Later pub meetings were at The Lamb and Flag across the street, and in earlier years the Inklings also met irregularly in yet other pubs, but The Eagle and Child is the best known.[14]
Legacy
The Marion E. Wade Center, located at Wheaton College, Illinois, is devoted to the work of seven British authors including four Inklings. Overall, the Wade Center has more than 11,000 volumes including first editions and critical works. Other holdings on the seven foremost authors (G. K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, and Inklings Owen Barfield, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Dorothy L. Sayers and Charles Williams) include letters, manuscripts, audio and video tapes, artwork, dissertations, periodicals, photographs, and related materials. Wheaton also has a creative writing critique group inspired by the Inklings called "WhInklings".
The Mythopoeic Society is a literary organization devoted to the study of mythopoeic literature, particularly the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams, founded by Glen GoodKnight in 1967 and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1971.[15]
The Inklings in fiction
In Swan Song (1947) by Edmund Crispin a discussion takes place between Professor Gervase Fen and others in the front parlour of the Eagle and Child.
"There goes C. S. Lewis", said Fen suddenly. "It must be Tuesday."
The Late Scholar (2013) by Jill Paton Walsh is a sequel, set in 1951, to the Lord Peter Wimsey novels of Dorothy L. Sayers. Wimsey, now 17th Duke of Denver, is investigating a mystery in the fictional St Severin's College, Oxford with his friend Charles Parker, now an assistant chief constable.
"Right," said Peter. "How about lunch, Charles? We could spin out to the Rose Revived." [on the Thames about 7 miles from Oxford]
Charles looked bashful. "I have heard," he said carefully, "that there is a pub in Oxford at which C. S Lewis often takes lunch."
"There is indeed", said Peter. "But he lunches with a group of cronies … Right, on with our overcoats and it's off to the Bird and Babe."
Three of the founding members of the Inklings – Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams – are the main characters of James A. Owen's fantasy series, The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica. (Warren Lewis and Hugo Dyson are recurring minor characters throughout the series.) The existence and founding of the organization are also alluded to in the third novel, The Indigo King. (The timeline of the books is different from the historical timeline at points, but these are dealt with part way through the series by the explanation that the books take place in a history alternative to our own.)[16]
^King, D. W. (2020). "When did the Inklings meet? A chronological survey of their gatherings: 1933–1954". Journal of Inklings Studies. 10 (2): 184–204. doi:10.3366/ink.2020.0079. S2CID 226364975.
^"Who Were the Inklings? | Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel – Available from Ignatius Press". www.ignatius.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
^Nelson, Valerie J. (14 November 2010). "Glen Howard GoodKnight II dies at 69; Tolkien enthusiast founded the Mythopoeic Society". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
Duriez, Colin; Porter, David (2001), The Inklings Handbook: The Lives, Thought and Writings of CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and their Friends, ISBN1-902694-13-9
Duriez, Colin (2003), Tolkien and CS Lewis: The Gift of Friendship, ISBN1-58768-026-2
Kilby, Clyde S.; Mead, Marjorie Lamp, eds. (1982), Brothers and Friends: The Diaries of Major Warren Hamilton Lewis, San Francisco: Harper & Row, ISBN0-06-064575-X
Knight, Gareth (October 2010), The Magical World of the Inklings, Barfield, Owen, foreword (new & expanded ed.), Skylight, ISBN978-1-908011-01-5.
Segura, Eduardo; Honegger, Thomas, eds. (2007), Myth and Magic: Art According to the Inklings, Walking Tree Publishers, ISBN978-3-905703-08-5
Zaleski, Philip and Carol (2015). The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. ISBN978-0374154097.
External links
Journal of Inklings Studies, Oxford, peer-reviewed & academic.
, archived from the original on 2 March 2013, retrieved 8 December 2008, a CS Lewis and Inklings resource blog.
inklings, this, article, about, literary, group, video, game, characters, inkling, splatoon, were, informal, literary, discussion, group, associated, with, tolkien, lewis, university, oxford, nearly, decades, between, early, 1930s, late, 1949, were, literary, . This article is about a literary group For the video game characters see Inkling Splatoon The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949 1 The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who praised the value of narrative in fiction and encouraged the writing of fantasy The best known apart from Tolkien and Lewis were Charles Williams and although a Londoner Owen Barfield The New Building at Magdalen College The Inklings met in C S Lewis s rooms above the arcade on the right side of the central block Contents 1 Members 2 Meetings 3 Legacy 4 The Inklings in fiction 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksMembers Edit The Eagle and Child pub commonly known as the Bird and Baby or simply just the Bird in Oxford where the Inklings met informally on Tuesday mornings during term The more regular members of the Inklings many of them academics at the University included 2 Owen Barfield Jack A W Bennett Lord David Cecil Nevill Coghill Hugo Dyson 3 Adam Fox 4 Robert Havard C S Lewis Warren Lewis C S Lewis s elder brother J R R Tolkien Christopher Tolkien J R R Tolkien s son Charles Williams More infrequent visitors included James Dundas Grant Colin Hardie Gervase Mathew R B McCallum Courtenay Edward Stevens John Wain Charles Leslie Wrenn Guests included Roy Campbell 5 E R Eddison 6 Meetings Edit A corner of The Eagle and Child pub formerly the landlord s sitting room where Lewis friends including Inklings members informally gathered on Tuesday mornings There is a small display of memorabilia Properly speaking wrote Warren Lewis the Inklings was neither a club nor a literary society though it partook of the nature of both There were no rules officers agendas or formal elections 7 As was typical for university groups in their time and place the Inklings were all male Readings and discussions of the members unfinished works were the principal purposes of meetings Tolkien s The Lord of the Rings 8 Lewis s Out of the Silent Planet and Williams s All Hallows Eve were among the novels first read to the Inklings Tolkien s fictional Notion Club see Sauron Defeated was based on the Inklings Meetings were not all serious the Inklings amused themselves by having competitions to see who could read the notoriously bad prose of Amanda McKittrick Ros for the longest without laughing 9 The name was associated originally with a society of Oxford University s University College initiated by the then undergraduate Edward Tangye Lean around 1931 for the purpose of reading aloud unfinished compositions The society consisted of students and dons among them Tolkien and Lewis When Lean left Oxford in 1933 the society ended and Tolkien and Lewis transferred its name to their group at Magdalen College On the association between the two Inklings societies Tolkien later said although our habit was to read aloud compositions of various kinds and lengths this association and its habit would in fact have come into being at that time whether the original short lived club had ever existed or not 10 Until late 1949 Inklings readings and discussions were usually held on Thursday evenings in C S Lewis s rooms at Magdalen The Inklings and friends were also known to gather informally on Tuesdays at midday at a local public house The Eagle and Child familiarly and alliteratively known in the Oxford community as The Bird and Baby or simply The Bird 11 The publican Charlie Blagrove let Lewis and friends use his private parlour for privacy the wall and door separating it from the public bar were removed in 1962 12 During the war years beer shortages occasionally rendered the Eagle and Child unable to open and the group instead met at other pubs including the White Horse and the Kings Arms 13 Later pub meetings were at The Lamb and Flag across the street and in earlier years the Inklings also met irregularly in yet other pubs but The Eagle and Child is the best known 14 Legacy EditThe Marion E Wade Center located at Wheaton College Illinois is devoted to the work of seven British authors including four Inklings Overall the Wade Center has more than 11 000 volumes including first editions and critical works Other holdings on the seven foremost authors G K Chesterton George MacDonald and Inklings Owen Barfield C S Lewis J R R Tolkien Dorothy L Sayers and Charles Williams include letters manuscripts audio and video tapes artwork dissertations periodicals photographs and related materials Wheaton also has a creative writing critique group inspired by the Inklings called WhInklings The Mythopoeic Society is a literary organization devoted to the study of mythopoeic literature particularly the works of J R R Tolkien C S Lewis and Charles Williams founded by Glen GoodKnight in 1967 and incorporated as a non profit organization in 1971 15 The Inklings in fiction EditIn Swan Song 1947 by Edmund Crispin a discussion takes place between Professor Gervase Fen and others in the front parlour of the Eagle and Child There goes C S Lewis said Fen suddenly It must be Tuesday The Late Scholar 2013 by Jill Paton Walsh is a sequel set in 1951 to the Lord Peter Wimsey novels of Dorothy L Sayers Wimsey now 17th Duke of Denver is investigating a mystery in the fictional St Severin s College Oxford with his friend Charles Parker now an assistant chief constable Right said Peter How about lunch Charles We could spin out to the Rose Revived on the Thames about 7 miles from Oxford Charles looked bashful I have heard he said carefully that there is a pub in Oxford at which C S Lewis often takes lunch There is indeed said Peter But he lunches with a group of cronies Right on with our overcoats and it s off to the Bird and Babe Three of the founding members of the Inklings Tolkien Lewis and Williams are the main characters of James A Owen s fantasy series The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica Warren Lewis and Hugo Dyson are recurring minor characters throughout the series The existence and founding of the organization are also alluded to in the third novel The Indigo King The timeline of the books is different from the historical timeline at points but these are dealt with part way through the series by the explanation that the books take place in a history alternative to our own 16 References Edit Kilby amp Mead 1982 p 230 Carpenter 1981 pp 255 259 Carpenter 1981 p 82 Carpenter 1981 p 36 Carpenter 1981 p 95 Carpenter 1981 p 84 Edwards Bruce L 2007 CS Lewis Apologist philosopher and theologian ISBN 9780275991197 Inklings literary group Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 2 August 2017 War of Words over World s Worst Writer Culture Northern Ireland archived from the original on 12 March 2007 Tolkien John Ronald Reuel 2006 The Letters of JRR Tolkien London Harper Collins p 388 letter 298 ISBN 978 0 261 10265 1 Eagle amp Child pub Headington UK archived from the original on 5 March 2016 Carpenter 1977 p 149 King D W 2020 When did the Inklings meet A chronological survey of their gatherings 1933 1954 Journal of Inklings Studies 10 2 184 204 doi 10 3366 ink 2020 0079 S2CID 226364975 Who Were the Inklings Looking for the King An Inklings Novel Available from Ignatius Press www ignatius com Retrieved 2 August 2017 Nelson Valerie J 14 November 2010 Glen Howard GoodKnight II dies at 69 Tolkien enthusiast founded the Mythopoeic Society Los Angeles Times Retrieved 29 September 2020 THE INDIGO KING Kirkus Reviews Sources EditCarpenter Humphrey 1979 The Inklings CS Lewis JRR Tolkien Charles Williams and their Friends ISBN 0 395 27628 4 Carpenter Humphrey 1981 The Letters of JRR Tolkien London George Allen And Unwin ISBN 0 04 826005 3 Duriez Colin Porter David 2001 The Inklings Handbook The Lives Thought and Writings of CS Lewis JRR Tolkien Charles Williams Owen Barfield and their Friends ISBN 1 902694 13 9 Duriez Colin 2003 Tolkien and CS Lewis The Gift of Friendship ISBN 1 58768 026 2 Glyer Diana Pavlac 2007 The Company They Keep CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien as Writers in Community ISBN 978 0 87338 890 0 Glyer Diana Pavlac 2015 Bandersnatch CS Lewis JRR Tolkien and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings ISBN 9781606352762 Karlson Henry 2010 Thinking with the Inklings ISBN 978 1 4505 4130 5 Kilby Clyde S Mead Marjorie Lamp eds 1982 Brothers and Friends The Diaries of Major Warren Hamilton Lewis San Francisco Harper amp Row ISBN 0 06 064575 X Knight Gareth October 2010 The Magical World of the Inklings Barfield Owen foreword new amp expanded ed Skylight ISBN 978 1 908011 01 5 Segura Eduardo Honegger Thomas eds 2007 Myth and Magic Art According to the Inklings Walking Tree Publishers ISBN 978 3 905703 08 5 Zaleski Philip and Carol 2015 The Fellowship The Literary Lives of the Inklings J R R Tolkien C S Lewis Owen Barfield Charles Williams New York Farrar Straus and Giroux ISBN 978 0374154097 External links EditJournal of Inklings Studies Oxford peer reviewed amp academic Further Up and Further In archived from the original on 2 March 2013 retrieved 8 December 2008 a CS Lewis and Inklings resource blog An Inklings bibliography The Mythopoeic Society Inklings gesellschaft Inklings Society in German DE Marion E Wade Center research collection Wheaton Inklings The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Inklings amp oldid 1118922641, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
